Best AI Phones Under ₹1 Lakh during Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026: Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17, Pixel 11 and OnePlus 15

• By team91
Published On: 3 October 2026 | 11:08 IST

AI has become the feature that separates this year’s flagship phones, and the festive season is the best time to buy one. Amazon’s Great Indian Festival starts on October 8th, with early deals going live even earlier. Amazon says SBI credit and debit card holders will get a 10 per cent instant discount, including on EMI transactions, while Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card holders will get 5 per cent unlimited cashback as Prime members, or 3 per cent otherwise, during the sale. When comparing AI phone offers, check the final price on the payment page, as smartphone festive offers can change during the sale.

This list brings together four of the best AI smartphones in India at around ₹1 lakh: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Apple’s iPhone 17, Google’s Pixel 11 and the OnePlus 15. Three already cost less than ₹1 lakh, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Great Indian Festival price (₹84,999) is what brings it under that mark. The article starts with what each phone’s AI can do, then compares them across the areas that matter most. The short version is that each rival has its strengths, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra wins in the most areas, and at its sale price it is one of the strongest AI smartphone deals of the season.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Galaxy AI and Gemini, with an S Pen

During Great Indian Festival, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be available price on Amazon is ₹84,999. According to Counterpoint, it was the best-selling premium smartphone in India above ₹90,000 between January 2025 and February 2026. Samsung AI phones such as this one combine Samsung’s own Galaxy AI with Google’s Gemini, and the S25 Ultra runs them on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which Samsung says delivers 40 per cent faster AI processing than the previous generation. Its key AI features are:

• Circle to Search: circle anything on the screen to search for it. Samsung says it now recognises phone numbers, email addresses and web links, so you can call, email or open a website with one tap.
• Gemini and Gemini Live: press and hold the side button and Gemini can carry out tasks across Samsung, Google and third-party apps such as Spotify, while Gemini Live lets you brainstorm ideas in a free-flowing spoken conversation.
• Now Brief and Now Bar: personalised briefings through the day, with alerts, music and timers available directly on the lock screen.
• Writing Assist, Call Transcript and Interpreter: summaries and automatically formatted notes, a written record and summary of your calls, and help when speaking with someone in another language.
• Audio Eraser: removes unwanted noise from videos by separating sounds such as voices, music, wind, nature and crowd noise.
• Photo Assist, Drawing Assist and Custom Filters: AI photo editing, images created from sketches, text or image prompts, and personalised filters. With One UI 8.5, you can keep editing in Photo Assist without saving each version.
• Generative Edit, Creative Studio and Chat Assist: move, resize or erase objects in a photo with the background filled in automatically, make wallpapers, stickers and profile images in Creative Studio, and change the tone of a message or translate it as you type.
• Personal Data Engine and Knox Vault: your personal data is analysed on the device to personalise features, and it is secured by Knox Vault.

Apple iPhone 17: Apple Intelligence in a compact phone

The iPhone 17 costs ₹99,900 for the 256GB model on Apple India, which puts it just under ₹1 lakh. It runs on Apple’s A19 chip and supports Apple Intelligence. Its key AI features are:

• Siri AI: a new conversational Siri that can use personal context from your photos, emails and notes, and take actions in apps. It is in beta and available in English to start.
• Visual Intelligence: identifies objects and lets you take action based on what is in front of the camera or on the screen.
• Writing Tools: helps you draft and refine text.
• Live Translation: translates messages and calls in real time.
• Clean Up, Image Playground and Genmoji: removes unwanted objects from photos, creates images in different styles and makes personalised emoji.
  

Google Pixel 11: Gemini at its core

The Pixel 11 costs ₹89,999 on the Google Store. It runs on Google’s Tensor G6 chip, is built around Gemini, and comes with Google’s promise of seven years of OS and security updates. Its key AI features are:

• Gemini Intelligence: what Google calls proactive, personal help that works across your apps.
• Magic Capture: captures video and photos, then automatically edits and curates them into a collection.
• Circle to Search: identifies objects, translates text and finds information about your surroundings.
• 30x Super Zoom and Night Sight: long-range zoom from its 5x telephoto camera, and clearer photos, portraits and panoramas in low light.

OnePlus 15: OnePlus AI alongside Gemini

The OnePlus 15 costs ₹85,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model, which makes it the most affordable phone on this list. It runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and pairs OnePlus’s own AI tools with Google’s Gemini. Its key AI features are:

• Plus Mind and Mind Space: a personal assistant for voice memos and scheduling, and a place to save ideas and things you want to come back to.
• AI VoiceScribe: call summaries and real-time translation.
• AI Scan: detects documents and converts them to PDF.
• AI Portrait Glow and AI Perfect Shot: improves lighting on faces and fixes closed eyes or awkward expressions in photos.
• Gemini: helps with tasks such as trip planning and productivity.
  

How the phones compare against each other

With the AI features laid out, here is how the four AI phone deals compare on paper, followed by a look at which phone leads in each area.

AI features and everyday help: Galaxy S25 Ultra

All four phones cover the basics, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra covers the most ground. It combines Google’s Gemini and Circle to Search with Samsung’s own tools for the lock screen, writing, calls, translation, photos and video, a wider spread than any other phone here. The Pixel 11 comes closest, with Gemini at its core and Pixel features such as Magic Capture. Apple Intelligence is polished, but its new Siri AI is still in beta, and the OnePlus 15’s own tools are narrower in scope.

Productivity and the S Pen: Galaxy S25 Ultra

This one is not close. The S25 Ultra is the only phone on the list with a built-in stylus, and the S Pen works well with Galaxy AI. You can circle something on the screen to look it up, sketch an idea for Drawing Assist to turn into an image, or jot down notes and let Writing Assist tidy them up. Paired with the largest screen here, that makes the S25 Ultra the strongest choice for work and study.

AI camera and zoom: Galaxy S25 Ultra

This is the S25 Ultra’s clearest lead. It has a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide and two telephoto lenses, at 3x and 5x, with Space Zoom up to 100x. The Pixel 11 has a single 5x telephoto and 30x Super Zoom, the OnePlus 15 has a 3.5x periscope telephoto, and the iPhone 17 has no telephoto lens at all, relying on 2x optical-quality zoom from its main camera. Samsung’s editing tools, including Audio Eraser, Photo Assist and Drawing Assist, then let you fix photos and videos without leaving the phone. The iPhone 17 and OnePlus 15 do have higher-resolution selfie cameras than the Galaxy’s 12MP, but on the rear cameras the S25 Ultra leads.

Display: Galaxy S25 Ultra

The S25 Ultra has the largest screen here, a 6.9-inch QHD+ panel, and Corning says its Gorilla Armor 2 glass reduces surface reflections, which helps in sunlight. The iPhone 17 and Pixel 11 are brighter on paper, at 3,000 nits against the Galaxy’s 2,600, but both have much smaller 6.3-inch screens. For reading, multitasking and writing with the S Pen, the Galaxy’s display is the more useful one.

Performance and battery: OnePlus 15

This is where the S25 Ultra gives ground. The OnePlus 15 has the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a much bigger 7,300mAh battery and 120W charging, and the iPhone 17’s A19 chip is also newer than the Galaxy’s. The S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is still a flagship chip, though, and its 5,000mAh battery is rated for up to 31 hours of video playback, the same as the OnePlus 15 and more than the 30 hours Apple quotes for the iPhone 17. Even so, if speed and battery life come first, the OnePlus 15 is the pick.

Price and value: Galaxy S25 Ultra, at its sale price

The S25 Ultra will be available during the sale at ₹84,999 (offers applicable). With a 200MP main camera, two telephoto lenses, a larger QHD+ screen and the S Pen, the phone makes a solid case for itself. At the sale price, it offers the best value among these AI smartphone deals.

Verdict: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the most well-rounded AI phone

The Galaxy S25 Ultra leads outright in four of the six areas compared here, AI features, productivity, camera and display, and takes value too once its sale price applies. It pairs Galaxy AI with Google Gemini, adds genuinely useful tools such as Circle to Search, Audio Eraser and Now Brief, and backs them with a 200MP camera, 100x Space Zoom, a built-in S Pen and Samsung’s promise of seven years of OS and security updates. That makes it the most well-rounded option on this list, and, at its Great Indian Festival price, one of the best AI mobile deals of the festive season.

The rivals still have their place. The OnePlus 15 is the pick for speed and battery life, the Pixel 11 for a pure Gemini experience at a lower price, and the iPhone 17 for anyone who wants Apple Intelligence. For most buyers, however, the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers the best balance of AI features, cameras and long-term support for the money, which makes it the phone to buy this Great Indian Festival.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best AI phone under ₹1 lakh at the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the most complete choice once its sale price takes it under ₹1 lakh. It combines Galaxy AI with Google Gemini, adds a built-in S Pen and leads this comparison on AI features, productivity, camera and display. The OnePlus 15 is the pick for speed and battery life, and the Pixel 11 for a Gemini-first phone at ₹89,999.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 11: which has better AI features?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra covers more ground, while the Pixel 11 is the more Gemini-centred phone. Both have Gemini and Circle to Search, but the S25 Ultra adds Samsung’s own tools, including Audio Eraser, Writing Assist, Interpreter and Generative Edit, plus S Pen features such as Drawing Assist. The Pixel 11 counters with Magic Capture and Google’s seven-year update promise.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17: which AI phone should you buy?

Choose the Galaxy S25 Ultra for zoom, screen size and the S Pen, and the iPhone 17 if you want Apple Intelligence inside Apple’s ecosystem. The Galaxy has 3x and 5x telephoto lenses and a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, while the iPhone 17 relies on 2x optical-quality zoom from its main camera and has a 6.3-inch screen. Apple’s new Siri AI still has some ground to cover.

Is the OnePlus 15 faster than the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

Yes. The OnePlus 15 uses the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, has a 7,300mAh battery and supports 120W charging, so it is the stronger choice for speed and charging. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is still a flagship chip, and both phones are rated for up to 31 hours of video playback.

Which bank offers apply to AI phones in the Great Indian Festival 2026?

During the sale, which starts on 8 October 2026, Amazon says SBI credit and debit card holders get a 10 per cent instant discount, including on EMI transactions. Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card holders get 5 per cent unlimited cashback as Prime members, or 3 per cent otherwise. Offers can change during the sale, so check the final price on the payment page.